A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk missiles arrived at a South Korean naval base in Busan, Friday, a day after North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast in its latest provocation.
USS Michigan SSGN, an 18,000-ton guided missile submarine and one of the most feared U.S. strategic assets, docked there as a demonstration of the security guarantee promised in the Washington Declaration and a symbol of “peace through strength,” South Korea’s Vice Adm. Kim Myung-soo said in a statement.
It is the first time since October 2017 that a submarine classified as “SSGN” by the U.S. Navy, or a cruise-missile submarine, has stopped off in Korea, amid tensions following the North’s weapons tests and the ever-intensifying Seoul-Washington military drills against the growing threat.
Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, a military official said the submarine will stay near the Korean Peninsula until next Thursday, during which it plans to participate in joint drills with the South Korean Navy.
The missiles fired from the North Korean capital area traveled about 780 kilometers before falling into the waters between the peninsula and Japan, which prompted the chief nuclear envoys of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo to issue a joint statement condemning the violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The latest launches came the day President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the South Korea-U.S. live-fire drills, for which some of the most lethal weapons systems including F-35 stealth fighters, F-16 jets and K-9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers were mobilized, and called for the sharpest state of readiness and building overwhelming capabilities.
Demonstrating the overwhelming forces was one of the goals of the submarine deployment, Vice Adm. Kim said.
“The U.S. SSGN’s visit to South Korea is intended to substantively implement the agreement in the Washington Declaration signed in April to enhance the regular visibility of its strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula,” Kim said. “It demonstrates the overwhelming capabilities and posture of the South Korea-U.S. alliance to realize ‘peace through strength.'”
Armed with land-attack missiles ― nuclear or otherwise ― with a range of 2,500 kilometers as well as superior communications and stealth capabilities, the submarine is designed for clandestine missions. It had initially been built as an SSBN carrying longer-range ballistic missiles before being converted into an SSGN in 2007.
Only two days ago, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces also announced that four B-52 Stratofortresses, long-range subsonic bombers, arrived on Guam, to conduct Bomber Task Force missions, as part of the effort to increase that visibility against North Korea’s threats.
In a statement, Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Loucks said that their presence aims to showcase his nation’s “ability to deploy anytime, anywhere” and to demonstrate its “continued readiness, willingness and commitment to our allies and partners.”
